I am not her agent but one young Irishman, seeking to book her in Dublin, wrote an inquiring email to me and did it so delightfully that I asked whether he was a writer. Turns out he is a columnist with The Irish Catholic, and after reading a few of his pieces I invited Ben Conroy to write something for our Symposium on the Synod for the Family.

In a matter of hours, he wrote three, sending full-bodied, expressive “sketches” that would serve very well as full articles with minimal edits, and as fine blog posts, as they were. I gratefully chose to feature his piece on “Euthansia: A Further Erosion of Familial Understanding”.

I like his energy, particularly as my own is somewhat lacking at the moment. As I continue to deal with a respiratory situation that is dragging me down, and appears to require some further testing and investigation, I’ve invited Ben to spend a little time here with the old Anchoress, and spruce up the anchorhold a bit — slap a coat of whitewash on the walls and maybe put up a tea kettle. Okay, a Guinness barrel!

Please make Ben Conroy welcome and keep your eye out for his byline for the next week or so. I think he will keep you more than engaged in some thoughtful reading!